Christmas
by Cozza
Summary: Just what exactly does Sasuke have in store for Naruto on Christmas eve? Oneshot.  Written for AF's 2010 Secret Santa


**Author's Notes:** Just a quick note - I use British English (so 'u' in colour, 's' instead of 'z' for some words, etc), sorry if that's not what you're used to! Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

_**Christmas**_

Naruto was surprised to say the least. A few minutes prior, his rival, the one he deemed his equal, had requested – no demanded – that they meet up after the day had ended. When Naruto had questioned this sudden outburst, Sasuke had merely tossed his head backwards and chuckled.

The blonde haired boy could not possibly fathom what was so urgent, or important, for Sasuke to require his presence tonight. _That damn idiot. He's always messing with my head_, Naruto thought absentmindedly, too distracted by the lingering scent in the air. He followed his nose to the source of the all-too familiar smell and came to an eventual halt. In front of him lay his favourite ramen shop.

"Ichiraku!" The teen exclaimed as he practically jumped to a vacant stool at the bar. The Ichiraku Ramen Bar had nurtured his stomach and taste-buds for as long as he could remember. Naruto was seventeen now, but had never grown out of the place, his love for it resilient as ever.

"Naruto," an old man in an apron standing behind the counter grinned as he spoke, "I hope you're not expecting to talk your way out of paying today."

Being the mischievous youth he was, he laughed. "It's Christmas eve, old man! I'm entitled to a free meal."

Just as Teuchi, Ichiraku's owner, was about to refute, he heard a pair of feet join next to his own. "It's been a while, Naruto! Where have you been hiding all this time?" Naruto's head turned to the sweet voice.

"Ayame!" Disbelief overwhelmed the youth. "Your hair is all fried!" he exclaimed while reaching over the counter in an attempt to feel if her hair was genuine. His wild actions earning him a look of disapproval from Teuchi; the girl's father.

"Yeah," Ayame laughed, "long story short – I was helping a friend." Naruto looked suspicious, as if refusing to believe her. He gave a casual shrug, reasoning that she had no reason to lie to him. "Anyway, the usual today, Naruto?"

Naruto beamed eagerly at Ayame, his eyes lighting up and mouth salivating as soon as the girl had brought up the question. Ayame giggled at his keen response, Teuchi just sighed helplessly. To him, despite how far Naruto had come as a ninja, he was still the same knucklehead when it came to ramen.

Within two minutes a dish of steaming hot miso ramen was served to the boy, he consumed the noodles greedily before lifting the bowl up to his lips to slurp the remaining juice. He repeated these actions for about six more bowls until finally deciding that he was indeed full.

"Ah," Naruto exhaled satisfied, patting his stomach. "Thanks for the meal, old man! Merry Christmas!" And before either Teuchi or Ayame could protest, the boy was off. Leaving behind him nothing but a stack of empty dishes and an envelope.

Ayame gathered the dirty bowls and upon doing so encountered the envelope. She read the front of it, it was addressed to both she and her father. She unsealed the envelope and let its contents drop into her hand. A Christmas card, containing enough money to pay for several meals. The surprise gift left her grinning as she went to show her father. _That Naruto_, she thought, _always so unpredictable_. _I hope all goes well for him and Sasuke tonight. _She uttered a hushed giggle to herself, twiddling with a lose strand of her hair, she examined it closely, _my hair was but a small sacrifice_.

–

Meanwhile, Naruto meandered carelessly through the bustling streets of Konoha. His mind wandered off to recall a key part of the conversation that had taken place with Sasuke earlier.

"_At least tell me when and where we're meeting!" The blonde youth had demanded, boring his frustrated expression into the back of Sasuke's head._

_The male in question turned to face Naruto. "Just be home around eight." With all said and done the eloquent boy had taken his leave and disappeared instantaneously. _

"Around eight, huh?" Naruto mumbled before checking his watch for the time. Normally, he wasn't one to wear such a device, but he felt obligated to do so as it was an early Christmas present from Sakura. She had been whining all year about Naruto's lack of time management, and how he was more than often later than Kakashi.

_Seven already? _ He glanced up from his watch and decided to start heading home. Walking home had always been a pleasant experience for the blue eyed ninja. It reminded him that, even, if just for that moment, life was calm. No rushing around, no deadlines, no missions, ultimately producing no pressure.

This time around was proving to be no different, or so Naruto thought.

A few blocks away from his apartment he spotted his fellow teammates Sasuke and Sakura, alone. They were together amidst the darkness of an empty alley. Being the approachable person he was, not wanting to be excluded, Naruto stepped in their direction and opened his mouth to holler a greeting. His attempt at communication was promptly ceased as he noticed his pink haired friend intertwine her fingers with Sasuke.

Having plenty of experience as a ninja, Naruto swiftly, and stealthily, evaded the scene, opting to watch the situation unfold from behind a nearby dumpster.

"Sasuke." Sakura whispered under a hushed breath, her nose red from the frosty winter air. "Please," she glanced up nervously at the male, "don't worry about Naruto's reaction. He'll understand it's for the best."

Sasuke, unaware that Sakura was holding his hand, looked down to the other's flushed face. "His reaction? He'll never speak to me again." Sasuke's stoic attitude could not suppress the expression of distress claiming his features.

Sakura gave Sasuke's hand a comforting squeeze, which seemed to go unnoticed by the male. She smiled up at him before standing on the tip of her toes to kiss his cheek. "He'll understand."

Naruto chose not to stay around for any longer, he could not bare witness to the two like that. He was enraged, upset, overwhelmed by once buried feelings. He felt betrayed. Betrayed by his two closest friends. Naruto ran as fast as he could, he sprinted along the rooftops, despite the angry bickering he received upon doing so, he just kept running.

Out of breath and finally at the door of his house, he allowed himself the opportunity to pant. The running had left him exhausted, he was adamant he'd never ran so fast in his life, save for S-ranked missions.

Once inside his shabby apartment, he kicked his shoes off and grabbed a carton of milk from his fridge. Lazily, he flopped onto his worn sofa and sculled the milk greedily, once finished he dropped the once full carton to the floor. He used the back of his sleeve to wipe away the milk mustache staining his face.

Resting on his sofa he flipped his head back and allowed his eyes to close. As much as he didn't want to think about it, he knew he had to. Reluctantly, he tried to make sense of the events that had just taken place. _I can't believe they would hide something from me, am I that insignificant? That unworthy of their trust? _He thought. _Have they been off laughing behind my back while they make love to each other? Do I not matter? Has our friendship up 'til now been nothing but a mere facade of their true feelings?_

Naruto could not fathom any of its meaning. He didn't want to believe that they could be so cruel, but the evidence supplied to him suggested otherwise. A glimpse of his watch informed him that it was only seven thirty. Grimacing at time's slow pace he was hit with a sudden revelation. _Sasuke's coming over here soon. Could it be to break the news to me? That he and Sakura are an item?_ His thoughts regarding this sudden realisation cluttered his mind. He raised his hands to his head to massage his temples, all this confusion was wearing him out.

_Well, fuck him._ Naruto thought resentfully, choosing to rid his mind of anything and everything regarding Sasuke. Sakura, on the other hand, he surprisingly wasn't that mad at. Excluding the feelings of betrayal he felt, she had barely crossed his mind. It took all his willpower to refrain from asking himself why Sasuke affected him so much.

Sighing, he felt around the cushioned sofa for the TV remote, deciding television would be a fine source of entertainment to distract him.

How wrong he was. Every channel was cluttered with nothing but repeats of corny Christmas specials from the '80s. Naruto didn't mind them once in a while, but this was too much for anyone. Frustrated, he muted the television, tossed his head back on the sofa's arm, and slowly closed his eyes. _What a great fucking Christmas Eve._

–

A bang was all to be heard before Naruto was startled awake, a kunai firmly planted in the grip of his right hand. With suspicious eyes, he inspected the room only to see an amused Sasuke leaning on his breakfast bar inside his kitchen. Sasuke reached for an apple from under the scattered mess.

"Finally awake, idiot?" he said, smirking, before giving the apple in his hand a little toss.

Naruto was having none of it. Furiously, he stomped over to the other male. "What the fuck was that bang, bastard?" His voice was irate, though lacking its usual bite, a fact that did not go amiss by Sasuke.

Sasuke shrugged, holding up what appeared to be the remains of a blown party popper. Naruto sighed, slightly relieved for the moment.

It took but seconds to dawn on Naruto that Sasuke, the person he least wanted to see, was standing right in front of him. The mere sight of him made the blonde haired boy furious.

"I know why you're here, so instead of gloating, why don't you do us both a favour and bother someone else, like Sakura." Naruto spat out; mixed emotions evident in his tone.

Sasuke stared at the other boy with a somewhat puzzled, yet uncharacteristically nervous expression. "You do?"

Naruto sighed, Sasuke's oblivious attitude had him growing increasingly frustrated.

"Idiot, then why would I be here to gloat?" Sasuke regained some coherency, realising that Naruto's accusation did not make sense.

"For fuck's sake, bastard!" Naruto growled, he was mad now. "Do I have to spell it out for you? Or is me yelling it out somehow going to relieve your conscience?"

"I still have no idea what you're talking about."

The response Sasuke received was one he was not expecting, a fist had collided with his face and knocked him to the floor. Once he recovered he became aware of a seated Naruto on his chest, who's face was mere inches away from Sasuke's.

"I thought we were friends." The blonde snarled as he lifted his right fist, it threatening to punch the other a second time, but instead he let his arm drop to his side. Abruptly, he got off of Sasuke and walked to his front door, holding it open. "I know you about you and Sakura, so please, just go."

On his feet and walking towards his blonde teammate, Sasuke frowned. "You're a bigger idiot than I thought. I don't know how, or why you'd come to such a conclusion."

"Stop fucking with me, Sasuke! I saw you two, together, talking about the best approach to break the news to me."

Sasuke stood face to face with Naruto, inhabiting the blonde's personal bubble. They stared each other down with intense callousness, a complete disregard for each other's space or any innuendos their current situation promoted.

"Come with me." The Uchiha male commanded, his voice devoid of any emotions.

Naruto gaped, "Did you not hear what I just said?" He couldn't believe what Sasuke was asking of him. _Does he take me for a fool?_

"Trust me." Was all the male said. He spoke with such sincerity that Naruto, even if just for that moment, decided he would place his faith in him. It was hard to hide the feeling of joy that rose in Naruto from just Sasuke's tone alone. It affected him greatly, not only because Sasuke stating such so desperately was unheard of to him, but because he chose Naruto to say those words to.

_It has to mean something,_ Naruto thought optimistically, _that or he's all out to make a dick of me, _taking the more probable thought into consideration.

Sasuke could detect Naruto's indecisiveness. "How long have we been teammates for?"

Naruto gazed up from under his blonde eyelashes, the question provided a good distraction from his heavy contemplation. "Four years," was his brief answer.

"And how many of those years have I shown any interest in Sakura?"

The question seemed to pass right through Naruto, leaving him with a blank response. For as long as he'd known Sasuke, it was true that the Uchiha had never even feigned an interest in their pink haired teammate.

"Fine," Naruto acquiesced, "let's go. But if this does happen to be a part of some elaborate scheme, I'll pulverise you."

Satisfied, Sasuke smirked. "If you can, that is."

–

It had taken the males all of five minutes to arrive at the assigned destination; atop the Hokage Monument. From up there the view of Konoha was impeccable, truly a view like none other. The vivid life of the townspeople practically glistened amongst the dark night sky, it offered a welcome contrast. Naruto couldn't help but stare in awe, it was astounding.

It took him a few minutes to remember that he was currently in the company of Sasuke, and it was impossible for him to resist the urge to ask, or even wonder, what the boy had planned.

"I'm not with Sakura."

Naruto turned his head to face Sasuke, "I know. I sort of gathered that when you denied it the first time. If I already knew, you'd have no reason to lie. It's not how you operate, bastard."

Sasuke's lips twisted into a half smirk as he calmly let his gaze fall on to the lively town.

"It sure is busy down there on Christmas eve," Naruto observed. Sasuke simply nodded in agreement.

Naruto's urge to ask Sasuke why they were here reached an all time high, he couldn't stop himself from asking. "Sasuke, why'd you bring me here?"

A few moments of hesitation and Sasuke acted. A slim, pale finger was pressed to the blonde's lips. "The show's just about to begin," he commented.

As if on cue, a few fireworks rocketed into the sky. A loud popping noise signalled that they had burst, along with the bright colours and shapes that soon spread across the vast expanse of darkness. A few more shot upwards in succession, illuminating the night.

Naruto watched the flares dance across the sky in excitement. It was his first time viewing such a magnificent display. Sasuke, on the other hand, couldn't keep his eyes off Naruto, he found the blonde boy's reaction to each pop in the sky to be rather enchanting.

Still intrigued by the fireworks, Naruto felt compelled to voice a concern that had gone unnoticed. "What were you and Sakura talking about in the alleyway?"

Sasuke gave him no response, instead he checked his watch and turned to face the fireworks before giving himself a reassuring nod.

"Answer the question."

"I will," Sasuke replied, "just watch this first."

After several more fireworks were launched into the sky, Sasuke clenched his fist in anticipation. _The last one is next,_ he thought to himself.

Naruto seemed to sense Sasuke's uneasiness, it was true that he and the Uchiha boy had became close friends, so much to the extent that it was not unknown of Sasuke to act out how he was really feeling. Naruto had once assured him that feigning competence and maintaining complete stoicism or composure was not healthy, and that he should express himself freely. Still, despite Naruto's words, Sasuke still remained aloof, only daring to let his emotions show briefly around the blonde boy.

The final firework rocketed into the sky, with a walloping bang it exploded, sprinkling colours of orange and blue into the air. It was not the colours that gained Naruto's interest, but the shape the flares had taken. The words, 'Merry Christmas, idiot,' were clearly shining across the night sky. It left Naruto grinning like a maniac.

"Sakura and I were discussing this moment," Sasuke stated nonchalantly, his eyes set on the sky.

Naruto didn't take his eyes off the now vanishing fireworks, "You're not going to say 'I love you', are you?" he joked.

"No," Sasuke replied sharply, before placing two fingers under Naruto's chin, and guiding the other's lips to meet his own. They kissed gently for a few seconds before Sasuke seperated their mouths, "I'm just going to do this instead," he stated before pressing their lips back together. The kiss was rough and passionate, like nothing else existed, a moment they both sought to cherish.

"Merry Christmas to you too, bastard," Naruto whispered as their lips separated.

–

"How does it look?" Sakura asked, eagerly.

Ayame removed the binoculars from her eyes and hollered a winning cheer. "They're kissing!"

Sakura's eyes lit up enthusiastically. "Let me see!"

"No way!" Ayame retorted as she lifted the binoculars back to her eyes.

"You don't want a repeat of this morning, do you, Mrs. Fried Hair? Only this time, it won't be a flawed firework's fault, it'll be fully intentional!" Sakura smirked deviously, a lighter and spare firework in hand.

Ayame shrieked in fear, reluctantly handing Sakura the binoculars. "Um, Sakura?"

The pink haired girl didn't look away from the scene atop the Hokage Monument. "Yeah?"

"You don't think setting these fireworks off was a bad idea, do you? I mean, haven't we just gave away the location of Konoha to potential enemies and threats?"

Sakura chuckled and waved her arm calmly in response, "We can deal with the repercussions later. It's Christmas!"

Ayame smiled. _Yeah, it's Christmas._


End file.
